Tale of the Humble Hero
by Aarik076
Summary: What if the combined might of Holy and the Lifestream wasn't enough to hold back meteor? This is my take on it.


**Hello everyone, got a bit a surprise here for you all. I'll admit that this came to me in an epiphany while I was working (hey, my work is BORING and MONOTONOUS, don't hate!), and I really, really..._really_ had to write it down. This will be a one chapter short story, and I hope you enjoy it. For those of you waiting for the next chapter of my Naruto/Digimon crossover worry not, I'm on that as well. One more word of advice; I highly advise that you know the background story and plot of FFVII before reading this, else this will confuse the living shit out of you. You have been warned. Without further ado, let this short story begin!**

"blah blah blah" : Normal speaking

_'blah blah blah' _: Thoughts

blah blah blah : Memory

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy franchise; that belongs to Square Enix. However, I DO own the plot of this story.**

Summary: What if the combined might of Holy and the Lifestream wasn't enough to hold back meteor? This is my take on it.

Tale of the Humble Hero

As Cloud lifted both Tifa and himself up from the drop into the planet's core they were dangling from, his mind was almost completely focused on other matters...like what they just accomplished.

_'We...we did it. We defeated Sephiroth! The planet no longer has to fear that madman's ambitions!'_

After both were on somewhat steady ground again, Cloud looked around wondering where the others were.

"Hey! Glad you guys made it out of there!"

Snapping his head over to his right, Cloud let an almost unnoticeable smile cross over his face when he saw that the rest of the team was alright. The smile quickly left his face when he realized that the already unstable path they traversed to get down here was no longer there due to the fierce battle and the planet's own woes. Frantically he looked around, but no matter where Cloud looked, he could find no steady path to the surface.

"Guys...how are we going to get out of here?"

When all he received in response was looks of morbid acceptance from all involved, he slowly nodded in understanding. At least if they were to die they would not be alone.

Everyone had their own way of coping with this, and for Cid it was to look up and sigh.

"Well damn...looks like lady luck isn't on our side today. Oh well, we had a good run didn't we-...what the?"

However the rest of his sentence died on his lips as the cigarette he was currently smoking fell from his now slack jaw. Everyone quickly followed Cid's line of sight and gaped as well. The Highwind in all its glory came plummeting down into the crater from above and screeched to a halt as the narrow walls rendered it immobile. Cloud actually laughed when he was the section that was stopped directly in front of him; Lady Luck in all her glory, as if to mock Cid in his unfaithfulness. He quickly snapped out his gazing when the ground underneath them began to shake again.

"Everyone, get on that ship! Cid, there's your luck, now get us out of here!"

Everyone sprinted toward the now fully stopped ship, and soon Cid reversed the thrusters and they were rocketing back up they way they came. As this was happening, Cloud couldn't help but think that he was forgetting something...but they defeated Sephiroth, and that was what mattered. However when the Highwind cleared the Norther Crater and the deck was suddenly cast in a malevolent crimson hue, Cloud very suddenly remembered just what he forgot. Turning to the main widow of the bridge, he and the others bore witness to what could only be a nightmare.

Meteor.

Like some vengeful god, the massive ball of flaming rock was quickly bearing down on the city of Midgar. Considering that they were quite a distance away and were still able to see it spoke of just how massive the terrifying object was.

Looking around the bridge at all of the horrified faces, Cloud realized that he needed to step up.

"Meteor. We all knew it was coming, but to see it actually here is another thing entirely. But just because its here doesn't mean we're going to give up. We have to hope that Aerith's Holy will be able to hold that thing off. In the meantime, Cid I want you to take us to Midgar."

At this everyone spun around and gave him incredulous looks. Even Cid, possibly the most daring pilot on the planet looked at him as if he suddenly grew feathers.

"Don't give me those looks, you know just as damn well as I do that Shinra doesn't care about the people in the city, just their own hides. There are probably thousands, if not tens of thousands still left in that city that are facing their very own armageddon. We still have some time if we're quick, maybe half an hour before Meteor is right on top of the city; with the Highwind's afterburners we can make it there in ten minutes, giving us at least some time to evacuate as many as possible. I know that if Meteor actually hits that it won't matter, but I'll be damned before I give up on innocent civilians!"

(**Authors Note: I know it was almost immediately after they got out of the crater that Meteor hit, but bear with me)**

This time everyone was looking at Cloud in shock. They all were very aware of just how selfless

the ex-SOLDIER was, but he was never this vocal or moved. Before they followed him because of his actions, as he didn't talk much. But this man before them now was showing both sides of leadership...and they liked it.

Soon Barrett's face broke into a grin as he walked up to Cloud and clapped a massive hand on his shoulder.

"Now that's more like it! I knew you had it in ya, but to see and hear it is somethin' else! You heard Spiky, lets save some people!"

Despite the doom that hovered over the planet, each and every person on the Highwind let out a cheer; even the stoic Vincent cracked a small smile at Cloud's enthusiasm.

As everyone manned their stations and Cid started barking out orders, their intrepid leader was having very troubling thoughts, despite his moving speech.

_'Even in death Sephiroth seems to mock us! What if Holy isn't enough? I felt the power emanating from Holy...but against this abomination even I'm starting to have my doubts...no! I can't be thinking like this, if I loose hope now then he has already won, and I refuse to make Aerith's sacrifice go to waste!'_

With these last thoughts, Cloud glared out at Meteor as if he was facing down Sephiroth himself. In all actuality that wasn't too far off from the truth, seeing as how this was Sephiroth's final act. So lost in his gaze, Cloud failed to realize that they were nearly at Midgar. It was only due to a nudge against his side that he snapped out of his reverie and gazed down at Nanaki.

"Cloud...you do realize that if Holy doesn't hold back Meteor, it won't matter how many people we save, right?"

Clouds response was a small morbid grin as he lightly scratched behind Nanaki's ears before he answered.

"Yeah...I know Nanaki. But that won't stop me from trying. Besides...if the worst does happen, I'll be able to see them again."

The last sentence was said in nary a whisper, but Nanaki's sharp hearing easily picked it up. He sent an understanding look at Cloud whom gave his own in return. Like Cloud, those he once loved and cherished had died, and now he was the only one left...the last of his species. As memories of his family flashed through Nanaki's mind, word slipped out of his muzzle unbidden.

"What would my family think of me if they saw me now? Would they blame me for being unable to stop this?"

Despite the low volume, Cloud heard his haunted words and frowned slightly; that sounded a little too familiar for his tastes...he himself was in his own world of self depreciation not too long ago. Getting down on one knee, Cloud put his left arm on one of Nanaki's shoulders, drawing his gaze.

"Nanaki, your family is too proud for words. You've stood side by side with me and the others against the One-Winged Angel himself without backing down once, and together we defeated him. And yet still you want to fight, staying here as I literally march us into hell. I don't have to see or hear them to know they're proud of you, Nanaki. Seto is proud of you."

Cloud's sincere words hacked away the fog of doubt that was hovering around Nanaki with brutal efficiency, and as the words sunk in he couldn't stop a small tear from escaping. Ever since he had found out the true story of what his father did, Nanaki had always wondered it he would ever measure up to the hero of Cosmo Canyon. Hearing Cloud say that Seto was proud of him lifted his spirits more than the blond-haired man could know.

"...Thank you Cloud."

Cloud simply ruffled his mane in response before turning his attention back to the viewport. When he saw that they were practically there, he instantly went from "Good friend" to "Commander" mode.

"We're here. Lets go Nanaki, the sooner we get going the more people we save."

Without further ado, Cloud and the other were soon on the streets of Midgar gathering the stragglers that were left behind.

-Scene Change-

As Cloud watched the last of the people he rounded up board the now heavily-set Highwind, he turned to look up at the amazing battle of wills happening high above his head.

After the first twenty minutes of rounding people up, he and everyone else stopped what they were doing momentarily to watch as Holy literally exploded out of the Norther Crater in a massive wave of soothing blue and clashed with Meteor, which was dangerously close at the time. However it was quickly becoming apparent that it wasn't enough when the massive barrier of blue warped and bent under the power of Meteor, and soon the underside of Holy turned red in the center, which soon split to reveal that Meteor was pushing through. It was then that everyone started running back to the Highwind, thinking that their last bastion of hope had crumpled. However everyone was surprised when streams of green could be seen fast approaching from the horizon in every direction, and only a few recognized that it was the lifestream of the planet itself. The tendrils of green all converged where Holy was, and the combined strength of both seemed to manage to hold Meteor off.

And for a time it most certainly had, giving Cloud and the others precious time to round up anyone else. But now that Cloud had a moment to himself, he noticed with growing dread that the now turquoise barrier holding back Meteor was slowly changing color in the very center. Cloud seemed to be in a world of his own as everyone ran around him, far too busy to notice what was happening above. After a minute more of watching, he clinched his fist in anger as he saw the tip of Meteor poking through the barrier, which was slowly giving way.

_'Its not enough...the planet is too weak due to Shinra and its damn mako reactors so it doesn't have the energy to repel Meteor. The only upside is that Meteor looks like its just barely winning...it has cracks all over its surface. But that won't matter if it hits; that much mass will still wipe out every living thing on this planet.'_

As these thoughts crossed his mind, an idea crossed his mind. A very dangerous idea, and one that had a very high price. In all honesty, it was very similar to every other idea of his. As he pondered over the idea, Cloud looked around at his comrades running around him, eyes falling on each of them in turn. As his eyes wandered over a few, thoughts sprang up in his mind unbidden.

_'Heh...look at Barrett run. Didn't think he could run that fast. Bet he's doing it so he doesn't have to think about Marlene and what'll happen to her if Meteor hits. He's a good man, despite his rough attitude.'_

His gaze then swivelled to see Tifa running at a full out spring, and his was able to momentarily admire the way her assets moved accordingly.

_'Ah, Tifa. We've known each other the longest. That small little girl blossomed into quite the flower. If only we weren't so busy trying to save the world, I might have had a chance at her.'_

He didn't even need to look to recognized the blur of crimson cloth that streaked across the sky.

_'Vincent, probably the most serious person in our little group. Him and his forgiveness, always seeking to repent for something he had no control over. He's a good man, even if he's a little caught up in the past.'_

Cloud would have continued his mental soliloquy, but the widening hole up above reminded him that he had little time. Keeping one eye on the form of Vincent, Cloud looked for the other one he would need and eventually found him. Gathering up his voice, Cloud then shouted for everyone around him to hear.

"EVERYONE BACK TO THE HIGHWIND! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

His companions all gave him confused looks, but Cloud simply pointed up. After a few moments of stunned horror, the rest of the group quickly ran back to the Highwind with whatever stragglers they had gathered quickly following behind them. Cloud himself was already near the ship, so he hovered near the open hangar bay as everyone ran past, discreetly grabbing the attention of the two he needed as they ran past.

"Vincent, Nanaki, you guys hold up a second, I need to speak with you both."

Giving each other a confused glance, they both made their way over to where Cloud was waiting, out of sight from the others. When they were close enough, Vincent was the first to voice his confusion.

"Cloud, shouldn't we get going? It doesn't look like the planet will be able to hold back Meteor much longer, and we should be far away when it hits."

When Cloud's glacier-blue eyes locked with his own, Vincent suddenly had a very sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The utter resolve to do whatever it took regardless of the consequences made him uneasy, but also even more respectful of the man in front of him.

"Vincent, you already know it wouldn't matter. If Meteor hits that it; game over. We lose, Sephiroth wins, and an entire planet dies along with countless millions. I refuse to let that happen."

Here he gave his attention to the both of them, and Nanaki quickly got the same feeling of foreboding as Cloud's gaze washed over him.

"You both may hate me for what I'm about to do, but it has to be done. You both swore you would follow me and my command until this planet was safe from the catastrophe and Sephiroth; I now hold you to these vows. I need both of you to come with me to the top of the main Shinra building. Once we're there, you will both help me get from the Shinra building." Here Cloud pointed to the top of the massive building. "To there." Cloud's finger now rested on Meteor itself, which was speeding up in breaking through.

Both were left utterly speechless as they processed what he had just basically ordered them to do, but once they did, Nanaki was quite verbal in his opinions on the matter. Vincent would be too, but he let the other speak.

"WHAT? You want us to get to onto Meteor itself? That's suicide and you damn well know that! What would that accomplish other than making you a black smear, huh?"

Nanaki was usually very quiet and reserved; far more mature than one of his species would be at his age...but the man that he looked up to as a mentor and good friend had just told him to throw him to his death. He thought the occasion warranted a bit of yelling.

As for Cloud he took this all in stride. While he was a bit surprised at Nanaki's loud outburst, he supposed it was appropriate considering the situation. When his friend had finally calmed down, Cloud spoke up again.

"I know its suicide, Nanaki. But I promise you it won't be a pointless death. Look at Meteor closely, what do you see, anything different?"

Both is companions looked up and gazed at the now visible surface of Meteor for a few moments before Vincent noticed it first.

"Meteor...it has huge cracks all along its surface...like its been weakening."

Cloud nodded, glad his stoic friend remained ever observant.

"Exactly. Meteor may be winning, but its only doing so just barely. All we need is a small push and we can beat this thing. However, what is a small push to Meteor is an impossible endeavor for everyone else...except me."

His comments made Vincent's gaze narrow at him before he spoke up, in a surprisingly emotional voice.

"Now wait just a second there. You already know about Chaos within me and how powerful I am when I fuse with him. I can do the job just as well as you can, Cloud!"

Cloud smiled at Vincent's willingness to lay down his own life, but slowly shook his head as he spoke up.

"I won't deny that you're a force to be reckoned with in your Chaos form, Vincent. You can easily go head to head with me like that, but your attacks are precise. They pack a lot of punch, but on too small of an area. On the other hand you already know how much widespread destruction I can cause, and with what I have in mind, I am the only one alive that has the slightest chance of stopping Meteor."

As he finished his speech, Cloud lifted up the Ultima Weapon to where both could see the materia slots, where one green materia in particular glowed.

"Ultima..."

Vincent whispered the word in a mixture of slight reverence and more than a little fear. When Cloud had come across the forbidden materia, the group had thought he simply stored it away due to the widespread destruction it caused. Ultima was not a eloquent attack; it consumed massive amount of mp and simply engulfed the target it a deadly wave of energy, effectively ripping it apart until even its atoms were no more. But now that Vincent looked, he could tell that Cloud had not only used it before, but he had _mastered _the materia. Where and how, Vincent would never know, but the power coming off of the materia was palpable.

"Ultima. Now you understand. Even with Ultima it may not be enough, so I'm going to try channeling and storing Ultima in my sword until the last possible moment. You both know that I have a ridiculously high amount of mp, higher than anyone else present, and the more mp you pump into Ultima, the worse it gets. Hopefully with any luck I'll be able to focus the brunt of Ultima in the direction of Meteor, vastly increasing its already deadly power. What I need you two to do is simply get me going at a fast enough speed to reach Meteor."

All was quiet for a few moments as they both stared at their leader. One looked on with a resigned air about him, but you could tell the man was shaken by the task given of him. The other who saw Cloud as a best friend and mentor had tears streaming down his muzzle, but no argument came fourth from him. Everyone involved knew that Cloud was truly the only one that had a chance in succeeding, but that didn't mean they had to like it.

"Cloud...one last question then. Why us? Why did you choose us for this?"

Nanaki sounded haunted as he spoke, and Cloud felt a spear of guilt impale his heart. He knew that what he asked his friend to do would haunt him the rest of his life, but honestly there was no one else.

"Because out of everyone here, you both are the most level-headed. You both are able to see things as they are instead of how they should be. If I had asked anyone of the others to do this, you both know that they would have not only refused, but would have quickly tried to stop me while getting everyone else to do the same. I'm not saying you're both less emotional; far from it. I'm just saying that you know when to put the good of one aside for the good of everyone else. That is why I chose you. Any more questions?"

When it was apparent both had none, he broke out in a brisk trot with both silently following him. When they were well out of sight of anyone else, Cloud spoke up once more.

"We have little time left. Vincent, change into Chaos now and fly us up to the building quickly, just make sure to keep out of sight as much as possible."

Vincent merely nodded in response and ran behind a building. With years of practice, the transformation only let out a small burst of energy, and soon the demonic form of Chaos ventured out from behind the building. Quickly scooping the other two up, Chaos flew towards the top of the Shinra H.Q., making sure to keep behind the clouds of smoke rising from Midgar.

-Scene Change-

It was utterly surreal to Cloud as he stood on the roof of Shinra H.Q. Below him, the massive city of Midgar and the rest of the world stretched out in an endless expanse of green and blue with the occasional sign of human settlements. Likewise, spread out above him was another seemingly endless sea of green and blues, with a core of violent crimson. Like Midgar below him, Meteor above tainted the otherwise breathtaking scene. As the massive ball of flaming rock continued to break through the barrier the Lifestream and Holy had erected, the temperature continued to rise, and Cloud knew the time for sightseeing had passed. Looking over at his companions, he couldn't stop the wince as he saw just how downtrodden they were. Hell, even in his Chaos form, Vincent looked absolutely miserable. And Nanaki...Cloud couldn't even look at the poor guy. However he knew what needed to be done, and so he quickly composed himself as he spoke.

"This is it. Are you guys ready?"

Both simply nodded in response, clearly in no state of mind to talk. Cloud nodded as well, but figured a few parting word were in order. Walking up to them, Cloud but his hand on both of their shoulders and spoke up.

"For what its worth...I'm glad I got to know all of you. I can honestly say I wouldn't change anything if it meant that I would never know you all. If this works...Nanaki, I want you to continue making your father proud; guard Cosmo Canyon with your life and make yourself a family of your own...family doesn't have to be biological." Here, Nanaki couldn't hold back the sob that escaped him, but nodded nonetheless. "And Vincent...lighten up a bit, would you? No more of this 'I need to repent for my sins' crap. What's been done to you isn't your fault, nor is housing Chaos. Life your life, make new friends and honor the friends that are gone by simply living, not just surviving." Chaos nodded, but the slight shaking of his shoulders did not escape Cloud's notice. "And if it doesn't work...I guess we'll be seeing each other pretty soon! Alright...let's go!"

With that, Cloud started ascending the massive antenna protruding from the tower, with Nanaki close behind, while Vincent flew up high above both them and the antenna, waiting. When both Cloud and Nanaki reached the tip of the antennae, Nanaki leapt as high as he could above it, with Cloud quickly following. When Nanaki reached the apex of his leap and began to fall, Cloud overshot him and launched off of Nanaki's back as he did so, giving himself another boost as he leapt further into the air. Nanaki was quickly sent plummeting back to the antenna where he managed to find foothold on one of the protrusions. Looking up at the ascending form of Cloud, Nanaki howled his sorrow to the heavens with tears streaming down his muzzle.

Vincent heard Nanaki's howl of grief and didn't blame him...in all honestly he wanted to join him, and in this form he could. However with Cloud quickly approaching he knew he needed to stay focused. When Cloud passed him, Vincent latched onto Cloud's shoulders with both of his massive arms and began to rapidly spin in midair. When he felt he could spin no faster, Vincent waited until Cloud's momentum was directed upward and launched his best friend into the air at blinding speeds. Before Cloud's quickly disappearing form was out of earshot, Vincent shouted out in his currently demonic voice.

"**Show that damn rock the might of a true SOLDIER, Cloud!"**

It was barely visible, but Vincent could just make out a thumbs-up coming from his friend. His part done, Vincent quickly descended to the roof of Shinra H.Q., where Nanaki currently was howling his misery to the world. When he looked up, he could make out the beginnings of a green aura surrounding Cloud, no doubt due to Ultima being channeled. In a rare show of great respect coming from the stoic man, Vincent snapped to attention and gave the disappearing form of Cloud a crisp military salute.

"Godspeed my friend...may you find what you desire in the heavens above."

No one would ever see the solitary tear that slid from his face.

-Scene Change-

"First he tells us to get in the damn ship, and now we're waiting on him! Where the hell is Spiky? And for that matter, where's ol' Gloom and Doom and the Pup?"

Barrett's query's were left unanswered as the others currently inside the bridge waited for their leader and the other two as well. Cid was busy grumbling about lazy leaders as he looked out at the massive Meteor when something caught his eye. It looked like some kind of green energy was flying up at Meteor.

"What the hell is that? ...Crewman! Focus main optic on unknown green object 30 degrees above Shinra H.Q. Put in on the main screen when you've done so!"

"Yes sir!"

By now Cid's actions had drawn the rest of the team, which were all now staring at the growing green energy with confusion. After roughly ten seconds, the crewman brought up the image, and everyone was greeted with the sight of a massive green ball of energy with small wisps trailing behind. However, what really caught their attention was the tiny figure they could make out in the middle of it all.

As everyone was staring, Tifa noticed something gleam from the figures hand.

"Something's in its hand. Almost looks like a crystal...sword..."

And just like that, everyone in the bridge went dead silent as the puzzle pieces fell together with horrible clarity. However, the silence was soon broke by the earth-shattering cry of distress from Tifa.

"CLOUD! NO!"

-Scene Change-

Cloud had to admit, if he wasn't currently soaring to his doom, the scenery would have been utterly breathtaking. The air was getting thinner, and it seemed as if the entire planted of Gaia was spread out before him. In the far distance below him, Cloud could barely make out a mournful howl and felt that stab of guilt once more. If he ever saw him again, he would really need to make it up to Nanaki. He knew that Nanaki considered him a close friend, but it was apparent now that he considered Cloud much more precious than he had originally thought. Giving a small sight, Cloud put that out of his mind for now and focused on the seemingly endless expanse of Meteor above him. By now the heat was almost unbearable, but he ignored it in favor of pushing every single ounce of mp he had into his sword and the Ultima spell being restrained within.

As he did so and the green aura around him spread even further, he began to have flashes of the close times he spent with his friends and comrades as he continued to soar through the heavens towards his destiny.

(**Authors Note: To set the appropriate setting, I suggest listening to Breaking Benjamin's song called "Without You". Just a suggestion, but it certainly does the job.)**

"Cloud?"

Turning towards the form of Yuffie lounging on his sofa, as was her habit, he responded.

"Yes Yuffie?"

"When all this is done, do you wanna...erm...what I meant to say is...doyouwannagooutwithme?"

Cloud simply stared at the hyperactive girl for a moment before he spoke as eloquently as he could. 

"...Huh?"

Heaving a nervous sigh, Yuffie repeated herself once more.

"After all this is done...do you want to go out with me?" She quickly averted her eyes after she said that, obviously very embarrassed.

Out of all the things Cloud had been expecting, that wasn't it. When he responded he was very careful to not hurt the girl's feelings as he put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around.

"To be honest Yuffie, that would be a bit awkward for me. After all, I see you as the little sister I never had...dating you would be disturbing."

Yuffie gaped at him a moment before her eyes gained a happy glint to them.

"You...you see me as a sister? As family?" When he nodded, she launched herself at him and engulfed Cloud in a smothering hug. After a few moments they broke apart and Cloud patted her head as he walked out. However before he exited he spoke up with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh by the way...you might want to check your pockets." When Yuffie quickly did so and found a ball-shaped object, the quickly pulled it out and gaped a the yellow materia. A yellow, _mastered_ Steal materia at that. Looking back at Cloud, he only gave a wink before walking away once more.

"Have fun lil' sis. Oh, and if you get caught you didn't get it from me."

_'Yuffie. Always the energetic one, huh? Hope you give em hell with that materia...have fun sis.'_

"Gah! You're too damn quiet you know that Cloud? Sneaking up on me like that! I oughta whoop your ass for that!"

"Calm down Barrett, you know I can't help it. Walking this way has been drilled into me."

"Yeah yeah, damn Spiky. By the way, this is for you."

Cloud caught to thrown pouch and looked inside, where he saw a significant amount of gil inside.

"Umm Barrett? What's all this money for?"

Barrett gave him a sidelong glance before he returned his attention back to the sunset.

"Its for the mission I hired you for. Remember the reactor? Never did pay you the full amount...there it is."

Cloud looked at the bag a moment more before chuckling as he tossed it back to Barrett who caught it with a confused look on his face.

"Eh, I forgot to mention my discount; first mission is free! And besides, if I recall correctly, a certain little girl needs that for some schooling. Seems to me it could be put to better use in your hands than in mine."

Barrett simply stared at him a moment more before a true smile crossed his face.

"...Thanks Cloud. It means a lot to me."

Cloud simply gave him his own smile before returning to his sunset gazing, with Barrett soon joining in.

_'Ahh Barrett...you may have been an asshole on the outside, but on the inside you always were a big softy. You'd better take care of Marlene, or I'll come back and kick your ass.'_

"Always liked flying...never could stand being on the ground for long, it just isn't me."

"What about space? Think you'll want to try having another go at that?"

Cid gave Cloud a exasperated glance before he returned his attention to flying the Highwind.

"After seeing that big ass ball of rock come out of it? …Maybe, but not for a while. For now, I'm happy enough flying in the air."

Cloud took up a thinking position for a moment before he seemed to make his mind up and nodded to himself.

"You know...even though I technically own the Highwind, I couldn't fly it to save my life. After all this is over, mind taking it off my hands for a bit? I don't really have a space to put her in."

Cid nearly fell down at Cloud's clever wording and turned around with wide eyes. After a moment his shocked look turned into a triumphant grin as he responded.

"Yeah, I suppose I could take it off yer hands for ya, you damn slacker."

Both shared knowing grins before the refocused their attention to the endless skies before them.

_'Cid...crazy guy, but fun. Have a good time with the Highwind my friend, I know you'll treat it well.'_

"Never did get to ask you...what were you doing in the Golden Saucer, Cait Sith?"

"Aha...well to be honest I was looking for you. Initially I was against you and AVALANCHE, but after seeing Shinra's deeds firsthand, I had a change in allegiances."

"Ah...well that's good. By the way, why are you always using this toy cat and...thing? We've never even met the real you. For that matter, I'd like to know your real name. After all, we're comrades in arms, and in my eyes that makes you my friend."

The cat reeled back as if struck and even though it was hard to spot in its limited expressions, it seemed shocked. After a moment of silence the cat held out its paw which Cloud firmly clasped and then spoke. The gratitude in his voice was unmistakable.

"Reeve...Reeve Tuesti."

_'Reeve...admittedly I didn't know much about you, but your antics always managed to bring a smile to our faces. Don't lose that gift; give the world the gift of laughter.'_

By now Meteor was quickly approaching him and he it. The heat coming off of the massive rock was starting to burn his skin, but the green aura around him helped deflect the brunt of it.

"You remember that night so long ago when we stared at the stars above Nibelheim?"

Cloud looked at Tifa, wondering where this was going but decided to go with it.

"Yeah...how could I not? It was the last time I saw you until I joined AVALANCHE"

"...After all this is over, I want to go back and do that again. I miss what we once had Cloud...and if you want to, I'd like to know you even better after we defeat Sephiroth."

Cloud was rendered speechless for a moment as his affection was apparently returned by Tifa. After a few moments he actually smiled a wide smile as he answered.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a whole lot, Tifa."

As this memory passed, a few tears fell from his eyes.

_'Tifa...its seems I won't be able to keep our plans once again. I'll miss you...have a good life._

"Hey Vincent, did you get my report on...did you bring that damn coffin on the Highwind?"

The stoic man was entirely unaffected by Cloud's exclamation as he responded.

"Yes."

'Sigh' "And does this have anything to do with 'repenting'?" A nod was all in reply.

"Right." With all the subtlety of a rampaging bull in a pottery shop, Cloud whipped out the massive blade of his sword and reduced the coffin to splinters while ignoring Vincent's widening of the eyes.

"Here's what we're gonna do. You want to repent for whatever you think you did wrong? Fine. But you won't be doing it by sleeping through nightmares, you'll be doing it by working with me for the good of humanity and the planet. Sound good to you?"

Vincent merely stood there for a moment before an almost unnoticeable smirk graced his face.

"I think that will be...acceptable."

_'Vincent. My stiff of a friend...but you're getting better. You'd better take the advice I gave you damn it, or when I see you again I'll give you a whole new definition to the word 'stiff' in the form of a ten foot pole!'_

The last flashback was with Nanaki, and was unsurprisingly of their discussion on their way here aboard the Highwind.

_'Nanaki...older than me, but really only a teenager of your species. I hate to leave you my friend, but I have no choice. Make the family you long for. I'll be watching over you with your old man Seto, don't you worry.'_

By now he was nearly there, only a couple hundred more meters and he would hit Meteor. The heat was unbearable and his clothes were now beginning to smolder, but he ignored it and focused on his mission. He had no doubt that without the green aura around him he would have been ashes by now, but he ignored this, too.

Pumping the remaining scraps of mp he had into his blade which by now was vibrating with power, Cloud smiled warmly as a few more faces flashed before him.

Zack handed helped him up, giving him a cheerful grin as he offered the broken sword back to Cloud.

_'Zack...'_

200 meters.

Aerith's smiling face as he woke in the church's flower garden.

_'Aerith...I'm coming, guys.'_

100 meters.

Tifa, Cloud, Barrett, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent, Cait Sith, and Nanaki as they all gather for a picture, each giving their own unique pose.

Cloud closed his eyes as the last image swam through his mind.

"You guys..."

50 meters.

"...were great."

And with that, Cloud's world exploded in a massive flash of green.

(**End music)**

-Scene Change-

Everyone aboard the Highwind, civilians included, were now watching as the green light streaked through the sky towards Meteor in a mixture of shocked horror and reverence. Tifa had to be knocked unconscious, and was now being cradled in Barrett's lap. When the green of Ultima finally met the red of Meteor, the entire screen was filled with a blinding green flash as everyone looked away, followed by a shock-wave that shook the still-grounded Highwind.

When everyone could see again, they all watched in shocked silence as green energy seemed to carve crevices into Meteor, until the entire ball was filled with them. All was still for a moment, before the flames surrounding Meteor seemed to flicker out as the massive ball broke up among the fissure lines. The lifestream and Holy were quick to dispose of the shards now that they were no longer a threat, and just as quickly left; Holy simply dissipating, and the lifestream flowing back into the planet. And just like that, where there was once Armageddon there was now simply a ruined city with a calm, clear night sky. For a moment nothing happened, but when it finally clicked, everyone erupted into cheers and shouts of joy. Everyone except the stunned members of AVALANCHE.

With an odd detachment from the activities around them, the AVALANCHE members all moved out of the Highwind and simply stared at the area where their leader and dear friend once was. Some simply wore looks of complete shock, while others had tears streaming down their faces. After a few minutes, they finally noticed the forms of Vincent and Nanaki a short distance away from the Highwind and approached them. When they arrived, they were somewhat surprised to see Vincent giving a full military salute towards the area that Cloud was, and were quite shocked to see the typically over-mature Nanaki on the ground with sobs violently wracking through his body.

Cid was the first to gain some semblance of speech and spoke to Vincent.

"Vincent...what happened?"

When Vincent turned around and they saw his face, all were shocked to see a single tear trail down the left side of his face. And for the first time since they had met, Vincent spoke with emotions in his voice.

"Cloud is what happened. He sacrificed his own life to ensure the planet's and ours. He used his sword to focus all his mp into one massive Ultima and fired it point-blank."

'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-GRNNCH'

As everyone turned towards the sound, Yuffie broke down and fell to the floor when they recognized it for what it was. There, embedded into the side of the Highwind was the Ultima Weapon, still glowing from the heat of the explosion. However, where the blade was once a vibrant ice-blue signifying it's wielder's health, it was now gray and lifeless...just like their leader. The others besides Vincent and Nanaki began to mourn in their own ways while the two whom helped Cloud remained where they were after they abandoned the Shinra H.Q.

It was a good ten minutes before Nanaki found his voice, and when he did it was barely stable.

"V-V-Vincent...d-do you think h-he found t-them? His l-loved ones?"

Vincent was quiet for a moment before he turned and looked in the direction of the sunrise that was just now gifting the heavens with its life-giving light. A warm breeze played across his face as he watched, and a small, sad smile came across his face as he replied.

"...Yes Nanaki...I think he found them."

**Authors Note: There you have it, this short story is complete! Damn...what a tearjerker...but I really, really needed to write it. Now before you kill me, I present you with good news! This is in reality merely the prequel to a much longer story I have in the works! And once more, I made sure that the direction my story goes will be the first of its kind, as is my habit. Hope you enjoyed it, and you can look forward to the approaching update of "A Fox Among Tamers" this weekend! Have a good day, and please review!**


End file.
